World Food Day

Every year on October 16, over 150 nations gather to observe World Food Day, commemorating the founding date of the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and its efforts to raise awareness of the issues surrounding poverty and hunger. Millions of people around the world do not have access to or cannot afford a nourishing diet, and rising global challenges continue to affect the availability of nutritious foods. As you learned during treatment, getting the proper nutrition for your body is an essential part of eating disorder recovery and in maintaining recovery.

Amanda Mellowspring, MS, RD/N, CEDRD-S 

Vice President of Nutrition Services,

 Monte Nido & Affiliates

Nutrition and EDs

Our bodies are designed to consume and assimilate a variety of nutrients that act as “fuel” for our daily lives. When you came to treatment, our goal was to help you get into the mindset that “food is both fuel and fun,” because all bodies, including your body, deserves to be nourished and satisfied. Every individual deserves to have a chance at a healthy relationship with food.

While living with an eating disorder, decisions around how to interact with food safely and appropriately were dominated by unhealthy, dangerous and life-limiting thoughts, beliefs and behaviors. Disordered eating habits were ingrained in you, making it difficult for you to return to appropriate eating patterns on your own. To challenge destructive behaviors, it was important to replace those habits with better alternatives on a consistent basis. With time, the old destructive behaviors were replaced with ones that supported your journey towards recovery. 

Maintaining Nutrition in Recovery

Once you worked through barriers to build a healthy relationship with food, it was possible to make positive associations with eating and sitting down for meals. We know that when you leave treatment, challenges can present themselves in new ways. Maybe your “safe” food is harder to find at the store due to the pandemic or you find yourself categorizing too many foods as “good” or “bad.” Wherever you're at, it’s important to remember that it’s ok to eat when you want, what you want and how much you want to get the sustenance your body needs and feel nourished by your meal. By implementing continual nourishment and regular eating patterns, eating and drinking are things that can bring joy! 

MNA as Partners in Recovery

At Monte Nido and Affiliates, we acknowledge that interacting with food is challenging both during and after treatment. Because we understand healing a relationship with food takes time, we can provide support that meets you where you are. Monte Nido & Affiliates provides aftercare, alumni groups and other resources to support you on your recovery journey.